Nelson Onana
{{short description|Belgian field hockey player}}
{{Infobox field hockey player
| name = Nelson Onana
| fullname = Nelson Zacharie M. Onana Alima
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|2000|03|01}}
| birth_place = Sweden
| position = Forward
| currentclub = Léopold
| youthyears1 =
| youthclubs1 = Pingouin
| years1 = {{0|0000}}–2019
| clubs1 = Pingouin
| years2 = 2019–2024
| clubs2 = Braxgata
| years3 = 2024–present
| clubs3 = Léopold
| nationalyears1 = 2019–2021
| nationalteam1 = Belgium U–21
| nationalcaps1 = 9
| nationalgoals1 = 2
| nationalyears2 = 2019–present
| nationalteam2 = Belgium
| nationalcaps2 = 25
| nationalgoals2 = 10
| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport|Men's field hockey}}
{{MedalCountry|{{BEL}}}}
{{MedalCompetition|EuroHockey Championship}}
{{MedalBronze|2023 Mönchengladbach|}}
}}
Nelson Zacharie M. Onana Alima (born 1 March 2000){{cite web |url=https://tms.fih.ch/competitions/1607/reports/teams |title=Team Details – Belgium |publisher=International Hockey Federation |website=tms.fih.ch |access-date=22 January 2024}} is a field hockey player who plays for Léopold and the Belgium national team.{{cite web |url=https://hockey.be/fr/equipes-nationales/red-lions/ |title=RED LIONS |publisher=Royal Belgian Hockey Association |website=hockey.be |language=Dutch |accessdate=22 January 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://eurohockey.altiusrt.com/people/10289 |title=ONANA Nelson |publisher=European Hockey Federation |website=eurohockey.altiusrt.com |accessdate=22 January 2024}}
Personal life
Onana was born in Sweden to a Belgian mother and a Cameroonian father. In Sweden he played floorball, and when his family returned to Belgium he started playing field hockey.{{cite web |last1=Klanke |first1=Peter |title=Gaan we zien in Gladbach: Nelson Onana, de new kid on the block |url=https://hockey.nl/nieuws/internationaal/gaan-we-zien-in-gladbach-nelson-onana-de-new-kid-on-the-block/ |website=hockey.nl |access-date=14 May 2024 |language=nl |date=18 August 2024}}
Club career
Onana started playing hockey at Pingouin, where he played until 2019 when he moved to Braxgata.{{cite web |title=Transfert : Nelson Onana au Braxgata |url=https://okey.lalibre.be/transfert-nelson-onana-au-braxgata/ |website=okey.lalibre.be |language=fr |date=21 May 2019}} After five seasons in Boom, he moved to Brussels to play for Léopold.{{cite web |title=Nelson Onana et José Basterra confirmés au Léopold |url=https://hockeybelgium.lesoir.be/ion-hockey-league/nelson-onana-et-jose-basterra-confirmes-au-leopold/ |website=hockeybelgium.lesoir.be |date=14 May 2024 |language=fr}}
International career
=Under–21=
In 2019 Onana made his debut for the Belgium U–21 team during an eight–nations tournament in Madrid, winning a bronze medal.
He was a member of the junior team at the 2021 Men's FIH Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar.{{cite web |url=https://www.fih.hockey/events/junior-world-cup/men/fih-odisha-hockey-mens-junior-world-cup-bhubaneswar-2021-1303/player/onana-nelson-22807 |title=ONANA NELSON |publisher=FIH Junior World Cup |website=juniorworldcup.hockey |accessdate=22 January 2024}}
=Red Lions=
Before making his junior debut, Onana earned his first senior cap in a 2019 test match against Russia. He went on to appear in the team once more that year.
Onana didn't represent the national team again until 2022, when he appeared in season three of the FIH Pro League. He has since been named permanently in the national squad.
He won his first medals with the national team in 2023, taking home bronze at the EuroHockey Championship in Mönchengladbach, as well as season four of the FIH Pro League. Now he is a basis player in the belgian red lios.{{cite web |url=https://eurohockey.org/red-lions-roar-their-way-to-mens-eurohockey-bronze |title=Red Lions roar their way to men's EuroHockey bronze |publisher=European Hockey Federation |website=eurohockey.org |date=27 August 2023 |accessdate=22 January 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://www.rtbf.be/article/nelson-onana-attaquant-des-red-lions-si-les-jeunes-peuvent-briller-cest-grace-aux-vieux-qui-les-soutiennent-11223332 |title=Nelson Onana, attaquant des Red Lions : "Si les jeunes peuvent briller, c'est grâce aux vieux qui les soutiennent" |publisher=RTBF |website=rtbf.be |date=5 July 2023 |accessdate=22 January 2024}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{International Hockey Federation|22807}}
- {{European Hockey Federation|10289}}
{{Belgium FH Squad 2023 EuroHockey}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Onana, Nelson}}
Category:Male field hockey forwards
Category:Belgian male field hockey players
Category:Men's Belgian Hockey League players
Category:Royal Léopold Club players
Category:Field hockey players at the 2024 Summer Olympics
Category:Olympic field hockey players for Belgium